So you can't ignore the signs out there! It is all over: on the news, in shops, on big bill boards, over the radio and our mailbox is filled up with tons of folders with just school stuff! Starting tomorow at 6.15pm I will be waking up and starting officially my new year as a teacher. Think I am ready. Today, I even went shopping for school essentials and I will be back very soon to get the stuff I have tried to ignore like red correction pens and grade booklets!
Mentally I more then just ready. I am even a bit more energetic then other years. Wonder when I will have my first complete off-day amongst my pupils and colleagues! But there is something else bugging me. It is 6 years old, blond, blue-green eyes, and for the moment running around in our living room with in his hands an oven mitten, an orange arrow and the Buzz Lightyear Lazer gun stuffed in the back of his t-shirt! Yes, A!
Today we had a very nice time out. We went for some last school supply and grocery shopping. Then we went out for lunch and then spend the afternoon at the swimmingpool of Louvain. A had picked this out as the final destination of his (last?) 'carefree' summer holiday. He was all smiles when we were out in the pool and he was diving around and imitating turtles and sharks! While he was having the time of his life I seemed to be a bit out of tune! Why?
Because, yes it scares the hell out me this whole elementary school thing. I truely enjoyed the last four years that A just went to pre-school. The three teachers managed to get the best out of my son. Most days he just loved to go. 'Homework' was so easy because the moment he got into the car he announced that I had to search with him for a certain book about the subjects they were covering in class. Never skipped a day!
Uhm, as a mum I will have to let go and believe that he will be fine. A is not in the running for the next Nobel Price for Medicine/Lit/Peace! His number won't be up to be a new Mozart or Einstein. Leave alone that his IQ is hitting through the roof. He just does the ordinary stuff kids of his age do! Very long list but nothing ground breaking or something that will make the worldnews!
Being a teacher myself I am sometimes so afraid that he won't get it why learning is so important. And that he will need to try harder in case it won't go that easy. A is interested in many things but he does seem not to get it about the fact that you need to read and write in order to make it to next level.
P&I as concerned parents have made predictions about him @ school! The whole premature story then pops up again. The teeth are already forcing me to rethink my personal expectations about him out there in the real world. I just hope that he can hang in there!
Foremost, I just hope that he will have a very good time in gradeschool and that he can explore, discover and be amazed by the knowledge that is out there to digest. And most important he will be happy and find enough people on the way who believe in his ablilities!!!
Our best moment today we had while having french fries at the nice green zone the'Zoete Water'! A:'Later, I might also be a dad and have a mum!' S:'Sure, you can!!' (Can't wait to meet his first girlfriend he will bring home!) A:'And then I also can have kids!' S:'Yes, that is possible!' (Oh, that will make me then a grandmother!) A:'And I will be a teacher!' S:'You do? You want to become a teacher!? You then will need to write and read!' (I am so scared that you won't become what you want to become!) A:'Then I can sit high up in the building and give instructions. And tell everybody what they can and can't do. When they are sick then I will give them a paper that says that they can go home and sit outside on the bench waiting for their parents to pick them up!' S:'You would like that, wouldn't you?' (Oh God, if he thinks this is what my job is about, then we need to talk!!! And he is describing rather the job of a principal! Wow!) A:'Yes,uhm the king, he is the boss of everything you see!' (He is looking at the nice surroundings of the 'Zoete Waters') S:'Well, he and the ministers!' (Ministers, what is that again? Do we still have them in this country!?) A:'Mum, can I have icecream? I want icecream!'
So, just before midnight all I have left is saying farewell to summer and wishing my son the very best out there. That he can dive into the fountain of knowledge many times and not feel like he is about to go under! I will be there at the edge holding out my hand! Just in case, you never know!!
I am told to be rather generous. Uhm, yes I do like to share my abundance of happiness in any size or form. Candy, gift certificates, feelings, cookies, the content of my lunch box, creative ideas, meaningful (or is rather total bollocks?) thaughts about life, you are happy to claim your own share of it all! But there are a few exceptions. Some things I do not like to share!! And one of them is secret spots and places where you can meet up with heaven!
Call me a spoiled brat on that part because once I run into a gem I seem to forget about the other 6 billion people I happen to share this globe with! Because when it comes to sharing certain 'favorite places, books and restaurants' I do have this rather ego centric edge appearing on the surface.
It seems then I do not wish to share this experience with any of you out there. Linger a bit around at the 'crime scene' and think that this is just too good and nice to share. Then I even come up with outrageously excuses why I should not pass on the word. 'No, if more people come here it might turn into a less intimate place to have dinner!' or 'Nay, can't tell, can I? Because then there might not be enough cupcakes for me to have on a rainy Saturday! or 'The pricetag of those nice pieces of jewelery might then go up if too many know this shop just around the corner!' or 'It is my personal discovery so I am going to keep this one to myself! At least for a bit longer!' or....
Yesterday I had once more one of those nasty thaughts. This time we were having dinner in one of the most 'sunny' places of all in Brussels. Even on a rainy Friday night you can experience here the most geniune southern atmosphere ever. And I am not talking about a sun tan studio!! Nope, it is a restaurant but not just 'any' restaurant where you can kill your time and spend a fortune on a three course meal. This one is a league on its own.
And yes, I am going to spill the beans on this one because this is just one of those moments you want to share with your whole address booklet. And listen (read in this case is more appropriate) very carefully because I will say (write) this only once... NOTOS!!!!
I could rave now about the many devine tasting dishes (because the number that passed on was rather already a bit insane to mention) that ended up in my personal digestion system. But I am not even going to try. Because there are not many fitting words to describe what food passed by. The least I can do is copy and paste some of the dishes that are part of the Happy Birthday (they are celebrating their 10th Anniversary) Menu! Still, I am not going to make it easy on you because they are described in French!
Here we go! Came out of the kitchen and just took me straight to Food Heaven - Potage rafraîchissant yaourt artisanal, concombre, noix et menthe, Bar en lamelles au citron, aubergine fumée et basilic, - Légumes à la polita',Sardines en feuille de vigne, grillées, salade de hapsias , - _ - Raviolia de Tinos aux blettes, marmelade de tomates', - Marbré de volaille, pychti de légumes - Kapama, poulpe mitonné dans son encre à l’aubergine - Soupe de pastèque au feta et melon - ...
And the wine!! Pure nectar was filling up my glass! The white one just took me so by surprise and before I knew I was sailing for Knossos or an other Greek sunny and colorful island. The red when made you go for Athens to hit the jackpot! I was sitting there on a chair and just dreaming away. Above all I tried to hold on to the many taste sensations that I encountered. 'The Raviolia de Tinos' can still make me marvel and the Kapama just made me scream for more!
When the meal came to an end and the bill showed up I felt a bit sad! Because I just did not want to let this one come to end. But I doubt that this was the feeling the very (and I do think also rather good looking) owner Constantin Erinkoglou is after when you dine at his restaurant.
In a recent interview he mentioned that the Greek cooking is about 'Pan metron ariston!' (run this through Google translate and you might find out what he is after!) For him cooking is a true art and one that takes time. And to get it right he uses many very ordinary and local products. As a result you will never feel like a filled up balloon when you leave.
Greeks love to cook and they don't mind that it takes time. So give them a break when it comes to serving service! But once the puzzle pieces fall in the right place they end up in a very succesfull and delicious combo. You even wonder where the magic touch is in these dishes. In most cases it are the many daily ingredients put together who end up making something extra ordinary. And believe it or not but this time it were the men who asked for a second serving of the dessert!
MMMMMMMHHHHHHHH!!! I want to go back for more! But perhaps I should grant you all the time to book first a table for two (because it is a very nice spot to spend a very romantic tête à tête with that other significant you wish to share this superb culinary highlight with. Keep in mind this is not place to enter while being in a hurry! This is rather the place to take is slow, lay back, breath in and out, enjoy the slow food and dream away. So leave your stopwatch, iPhone, Blackberry, Smartphone and other time consuming equipment at home and buckle up for a dinner of a life time at the most southern restaurant you can find in Brussels! Zeus would have been for sure passing on the ambrosia & nectar at this 'Notos' place on earth!
In case you want to find out more you can take a peak at: www.notos.be
One of my favorite taste sensations was this:
and was put together by this good looking Greek host:
P.S.: Chances are that when you are planning your next holiday that Greece will be on your hitlist! Because Constantin is considered in his home country as one of the best culinary ambassadors they have got out there!! Hope he can keep up the good work!
Today, I have been back were I seem to be at my very best and called passionate by others. Believe it or not but I still can be up high up in the sky when it dealing with the educational world. Okay, I am a bit anxious about starting a new schoolyear because new beginnings can make me a bit jumpy and less secure for a few minutes/days. The last few weeks I have done some planning to grant my pupils a very entertained 10 months but 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating'!
Still, today I already managed to screw up most of my PLEASE DO-list. I was ready to go ballistic one more just by walking through the hallways. It was the radio that I turned on in order to chase away the bad spirits and managed to let me breath again. Before I knew I was dancing through my classroom! Wonder if an other member of staff caught me doing this?
Best news was that it helped to get my tensed body a bit more relaxed. Of course spending half a day in building where your stress can triggered badly and not knowing what the next 10 months will bring is a quite a challenge. Still, I love teaching and I damn know why I am still doing it. But I have got my principles and I do stay true to my educational beliefs! Teaching is for me so much more then picking up a text book and trying to make it work for my pupils. It is an attitude and sometimes one that can hurt!
To make sure that I stay focused and once in a while ignore some certain individuals and situations I do know that laughing will work as well. The last few months I came across many nice internet laughing moments and those can even make me LOL! In order to let you share in the laughter I post her a few of Stallie her personal FIRST AID LAUGHING KIT!
1. The Green Wing (One of my favorite shows to change a depressing day in something more shiny) Just try to imagine of you colleagues doing some of this stuff!! It is for me the best way of LOL after a very despressing day out there!! Don't worry I won't be jumping out of a closet, wearing only my underwear and playing the recorder! Come to think of it, you would get a crack out that, wouldn't you!?
2. Simon's Cat!! I am a true catlover and A loves them as well. They seem so much more mysterious then dogs (don't take this personal, doglovers but the Egyptians did treat them as royals!) Sadly, P&A are allergic to everything that has got hair and walks on four legs! So not a cat allowed into the house. But thanks to the very lovely internetsite called 'Cute Overload' I can still obtain my share of pure animal love! This cartoon I think is a real gem by a British cartoonist! More to be found about Simon and his cat on www.simonscat.com
3. Beautiful Disaster & Twilight Dad: Carlisle Cullen/Peter Facinelli Yesterday night I was wide awake in my bed because I finised 'Breaking Dawn', book 4 of the 'Twilight Saga'. And nope, I did not keep my eyes dry while reading the final chapter! The four books made me smile, LOL, shiver, daydream (and many more very human emotions!) so many times and will in the years to come make me smile many more moments. Also the 3 movies I got to watch this summer were so much fun. Yes, I am 'Team Carlisle' because this vampire dad has got it all but above all some of the stuff he truely believes in I do as well. Uhm, and yes I do admit it now openly I twitter with Peter Facinelli!! His humor can make me smile and he is still goofing around! Even on set!!
4. Pure emotions and joy at the Youth Olympics Today the Youth Olympics come to an end. Not that we Belgians did that well out there. Once more it was one of my favorite pic sites The Big Picture that can make me marvel at the perfect shots of people in action. Not always photo shoots are that cheerful but these 30 something pics made me smile for sure!! Pictures can make me smile all over!
5. Shikara her hips and song 'Waka Waka' The summer did not raise to any tropical temperatures at this house but in football country and way beyond it might have shaken some hips! This song for sure made me move around in my kitchen! Also the memory of A & M in the car making rather funny sounds while listening to the first notes of this song can still make me LOL!! Love also the lyrics of it and yes the football field resembles many times that one of a war zone but it also brings out the best of people! For sure this one will make me smile when feeling down in the months to come!
P.S.: I challenge you here! But how many times have you been smiling while watching one of these?
Like mentioned before I have this thing going for lists! Not that I am obsessed with them and most of the time they end up being rather mental one. Because once I have to write them down they seem to become less appealing and too unrealistic! In the end like the majority of people out there I seem to just turn only half of my TO DO, SHOULD MANAGE-, PROMISE TO- or PLEDGE TO- lists into reality!
But this summer I had time to contemplate about certain situations and things. Especially the whole stomach issue hit me right between the eyes. So therefor it seems that some pledges or promises are perhaps healthy to take into consideration. Because, yes, a new school year is looming around the corner. In a few days I am back in my classroom filled up with some new ( those ones I am even tempted to call 'newborns'!) and old faces. So it is back to the old routine where I put on my teacher face and try to keep every single pupil and colleague of mine entertained and happy!
Still, I do want to do some things differently or at least try. Because old habits are hard to break, it would be nice if somebody once in while would remind me of this personal ' PLEASE DO' list. It might end up being my personal manual in order to stay away of being the sometimes very down and stressed out teacher I can be. Okay, I do consider myself sometimes the MEAN teacher but it is rather MEAN WITH A TWIST. Pupils and co-workers who had the priveledge (uhm, uhm) to end up in my habitat (and yes, I am not the most organised of all teachers out there) do know that I have got my better moments!
While putting this important list together I had to keep many into consideration. First of all me, myself and I! It is MY list so it better works efficiently enough to keep me going strong the next ten months! As well up for beneficiaries of this V(ery)-I(mportant)-L(ist) are: P&A, my family&friends, colleagues and pupils. Not want to push it too far and hope that mankind in general will get better because of this! So at least I downsized on this bit to keep it work for sure.
Here we go:
Stallie her personal 'PLEASE-DO'- list to make it through the new school year without a scratch or scar.
PLEASE DO:
1. HAVE BREAKFAST!! In the previous decade I have failed big time on this one! Hey, I am teaching my pupils about healthy food habits and I don't manage to get this one right! The whole painful stomach chapter has thaught me that breakfast can make the difference! It will hurt because I do intend to get up 30 minutes earlier for juice, hot toast and tons of yoghurt!
2. STAY FOCUSED ON WHAT TRUELY MATTERS! VERY HARD one. Before you know my mind is triggered when I walk into the school building. Because I ssem to be blessed (or rather cursed) with this sixth sense. But also in order to keep the stomach going strong this is so essential. Please, don't take it personal when I am ignoring you once in a while! Give me five to snap back in the 'right' Stallie teaching attitude without having to face one that is fired up with the latest Star Wars armory! !
3. KEEP OUT OF CHAOS! Foremost when dealing with paperwork and administration. Over and over I manage to be the one who ends up with the most disorganised folders. And opening one of my office or classroom draws is like there is popping up a monster! Needless to say that even before xmas that I am treasure hunting for borrowed assets that my collegues or P are searching for desperatly! But I am also aiming at the mental chaos and that will be an even bigger challenge!
4. TAKE CARE OF MYSELF! Here I will need to get some expertise of others to make this one come true. Because I have used numerous times less apealing sounding adjectives to describe myself. This school year I do want to spend more time (and also money!!) on my own well being. In order to get this one covered I intend to get my hair done more frequently, visit the Benefit Brow Bar (there is one now at Inno Louiza!!!) more often, use a bit more makeup to cover up those wrinkles and tired looking eyes and shop for clothes not only when it is sales! It also includes getting warmed up in a sauna and excellent shiatsu massages from N!
5. BREATH Not that hard for a human but this can save me for tresspassing to the dark side. Being called patient by many means that I do forget to breath deep enough when I am upset. I don't want to end up slamming doors and yell at certain beloved and less beloved ones because you just happen not to be on the same side with me for once. It is not worth it! After all it is only your behaviour I do not approve of and not your personality. We don't all have to be best friends. So as long as we can at least cope with each other in the same room and make it work for all it is super!!!
6. BE AMBITIOUS. Uhm, I do have a tons of projects lining up! And I do intend to get at least half of them done. Two have a big potential and some cost some personal effort. Think sports, work, education, Europe, writing, books and many more. Some are brand new projects and others are retries! One will be rather scary because it means to go back to my educational roots of English and history.
7. BELIEVE In people, things, love and GOD! I don't intend to go on the same route as Julia Robberts while she filmed 'Eat, Pray & Love'. Can't afford to take a sabbitical and travel around the world. Still, I am going to give tons of people and things the benefit of doubt! But once I mention that I have given you a few shots to get it right you better run. And when I walk into a church I do want to be a few minutes on my own to be just with the invisible and hard to grasp power there might or not might be out there!
8. LET GO I will have to let go!! Can be an obessive thinker but if I do end up getting this one right it will cause happiness to many. Not only myself. After all P and A have the right to end up with a happier mother and person then one who manages to be so preoccupied with less important things. In order to make this one work don't freak out when you see me tree hugging or talking to objects. I am a true believer in the fact that 'Green Wing'-humor can make the difference. So in case you wish to comprehend me fully you will need to borrow this DVD-box and all will be clear!
Eight, I ended up with eight items I am going after in the months to come. Uhm, perhaps a bit too ambitious! Seven would have been better because that is after all a holly and lucky number. Is this even an good idea to put this on my blog because now it is into the open? Everyone can now make me remember this list and that is the big difference with all the previous personal behaviour list that I ever designed! Still, these eight things are after all still only intentions! They might collide with your intentions! But I am going to give it my best try ever! I do intend to turn this into an extra ordinary special school year for all of you!! PROMISE and hope your chances are high to run into a healthy, organised, faithful, stylish looking, ambitious, focused and above all easily breathing teacher!!!
P.S.:Best tip ever to survive Stallie this school year does stay unchanged: hand her over a cup of coffee with a biscuit before you disturb her with your personal requests. Or when you intend to aks a huge favour of her: a gift certificate for books can do wonders. Books, sweets and coffee will make me forget any list! Even this essential one!
I just had it!!! I am done and there is not much you can do about this but I am about to get into one of these rather aggessive spells! A boxing ring would be for sure the best habitat for this upset girl. Yesterday I spelled it outloud that I just had not the best summer break ever and I was blaming certain objects and situations for that. P was so honest to admit openly that he is partly to blame for this!
The cause of my rather stormy temper are A his teeth! This summer we made it five out of seven weeks into a dentist office. Believe it or not, but they ruined P his 2nd week of vacation because we stayed close to home and the dentist office! Yesterday is was once more bingo. A was complaining again and he even cried his eyes out. Hard to cope with if you know this kid can deal with pain the hard way.
A is not blessed with great teeth. But he has got not inherited the sweet tooth of his mum. The only thing he does like is a pop soda and even those glasses he does not finish most of the time. But sweets he only looks at and eats them with his eyes. But this summer we found out that his tiny little teeth do attract tiny little creeping animals that make you creep over the floor when they attack the hard way!
Having two parents who are obsessed with teeth and brushing them correctly is hard on him. Because it is a battle every day. I have lost it a few times!! No patience what so ever. My bathroom turned into Waterloo! 'Every single tooth you have got in your mouth is worth a Porsche!',('The yellow one of Alice Cullen would be nice!',I muzed on inside my Twilighted mind)I tried on him!' Thank the Lord for godmothers who come up with great practical birthday gifts. The day the Disney Oral B electric toothbrush moved in it did change a bit for the better.
Still, A is now the most loyal visitor of the dentist. The first few times it seemed that he was even enjoying the whole experience. He just ran into the 'torture' chair and the vocab he used was more fitting to describe a new box of Lego! This little boy was smiling away while his mum was sitting there on a rather uncomfortable chair and clenching her own teeth when witnessing the drilling part.
Already 3 times he got the whole drilling experience without any sedation what so ever. WOW!!! But now even the dentist thinks it is enough. Yesterday she broke the painful news to me that she thinks they will have to go in there the real hard way. Seems that one more visit would be too traumatic and make the dentist change into something less appealing! (werewolf, vampire, Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, take your pick!)
So when we left the hospital I walked on my hand with a kid who is facing minor surgery! And I hate it! I truely do! Okay, they are just going to take care of all his teeth in one single go and therefore want to put him under. So that when he wakes up at least he won't remember a single thing. And as a result of this sleepy trip that the dentist doesn't have her number up when it comes down to traumatic memories of childhood!
By the time I got home I had changed into the bitchy and witchy Stallie! P tried to play it down bravely by pointing out that there are worse things. Uhm, brain surgery or heart transplant perhaps? Yes, but hey this a 6 year old who has to go into hospital to get his calf's teeth filled up. For once his imitation Carlisle Cullen-attitude and smile did not manage to do miracles.
My mind is now triggered and I even wake up like I am completely exhausted! Just want to get his over, make it move on, let the whole teeth chapter become a thing of the past. Not that it will be but please let us skip to the part where just 'normal' dentist visits are part of the package. A retainer, no problem, part of puberty! A is up for that one for sure! P and I had that one hanging around in our mouths and it was not like it turned us into monsters. We were just two amongst the huge crowth who were wearing an extra tooth accessory.
Worst of all is the timing. Because with September coming up and A starting his real school carreer this is just the worst time ever to have something like this coming around. Believe me, having to go to school with constantly tooth aches and not being to able to eat normal lunches can make you feel dead tired. I can not see him dealing with the beginning of this extremely important school year with dragging along his painful teeth and his painful moods in his brand new filled up red carry along bookbag!
So now I am in a very bad mood! I am on a strike and refuse to participate in some more cheerful activities. Planning for my next ten months of teaching are now kept on hold. Every time when I now see a toothbrush, a toothpaste commercial or a sign of a dentist I just go ballestic! For once I can't wait to have Monday showing up on our Mary Engelbreit day to day calendar because then P is going to call the most experienced children's dentist at the hospital to make final appointments! She better have a big hole in her work schedule in order to drill and fill up some of my son's teeth!! Otherwise I will be next trauma she is facing!!!
P.S.: I did manage to get done one very important thing! Something that will take me to new educational places and insights and I can't wait! One more paper to fill out and then the security badge with my face on it will be a reality! The one I have been waiting for so long to obtain!!
I am almost at the end of my summer break. Mentally I am already picking out new folders and putting together new projects. In a way it is seems that inside I am up for ten new months of educational fun and perhaps some chaos! The book stack is almost vanished and yes, I made it into book 4 of the Twilight Saga. For the moment I am half through the more then 700 pages. And I am truely enjoying every printed word of it! Guess, that 'Twilight' became a fixed ingredient of the summer of 2010 or is is going way beyond this?
Uhm, what I can I say? Well, I try to make up 'excuses' when some people look at me like they are bitten by a vampire themselves when hearing I am into this whole bloody epic! After all, it is one of the few free choices I have left in this society: picking out my personal reading material. So no, P could not manage me to stop reading 'Twilight' and will never understand truely what the hype is all about.
One look at my house I do think A &P have a few obessions going on themselves. N was so kind to point out this out - N: 'This can't go on! You need to do something about this, stat!'. - S: 'What can I do? They are in this together! I am flying solo on this one?' - N: 'You should get this stuff out of the living room. Let A select some of his favourite pieces and put them on a shelf in his bedroom!' - S: 'Sounds, like a good idea but it is them against me!' N was looking rather out of tune at the biggest invasion that has taken place in our house. Finally she shrugged her shoulders and then settled for ice cream.
Still, N is right because I did tell P this is getting out of hand. Not that I am talking about cars this time. Still no certain specific car parked in our garage. If you wonder why you have not received not a single dinner invitation the last 10 months then this is the only justification I have at hand: LEGO.
Our living room resembles for the moment one big Lego workshop. AHHHH!!! The numerous moments that I have tripped over a tiny Lego stone or was forced to dig into a huge bin filled up with unidentified Lego bricks in order to finish a new creative construction A & P had come up just before bed time were numerous! Lego has managed to screw up many evenings. At least that is what it do my evenings!
Don't get me wrong I do like LEGO! My brother his LEGO-heritage can be still visited at home. This gigantic construction entirely made out of Lego includes even some female features I used to play with. But P has this one certain thing going for one collection that has nothing girly! STAR WARS! P&I have in common that we do like the whole Star Wars Saga but he for completely different reasons then I do! He can rave on about the armory, the outfits and the sounds the engines produce. P his eyes then start to sparkle and before I knew he had A infected badly.
To make things worse there is this whole new Star Wars world that you now can dig into: The Clone Wars! It is a cartoon on television telling the adventures of Anakin (the one turning completely black, dark and evil) Skywalker. This still peacefull colored Jedi then has tons of adventures out there with his friends! He manages to save many 'unknown to mankind' planets and keep as a friend many strange looking creatures. In between battles he tries to woe his true soulmate Padme with his Bambi like eyes!
A few weeks ago my Star Wars fanatics tricked me into spending over 50 euro on a DVD-box with Season One on it. Most episodes I do know by heart just listening to the sounds! P and A still look at the screen like they are wiped of this planet and were time warped! If it only stayed that safe I would not have gone in a certain state of despair! But in front of the TV there is a whole Star Wars engine park to be found!
I am almost sure of the fact that George Lucas would be able to move in and feel at home! P surfs the net while watching certain episodes in order to find 'things' in LEGO! Before I have turned my back he has managed to order a new box filled up with sheer Star Wars fun!
Being a very patient person I do try to understand this whole thing as a father-son adventure. Still, I have a very hard time that my house is a danger zone for high heels (tripping) and children under the age of 3 (choking hazard)! I am so tempted to sacrifice my office to Star Wars and beyond. Because I want to turn this into a real living room where I can put down a love seat, hang frames at the walls which are filled up with nice shots made all over the world, get it painted in smooth colors and get that one 'special' bookcase made for it!
P&A seem not to agree with me because the latest news on the final frontier was that very soon the complete Season 2 of the Clone Wars will come out on DVD! With other words so much more inspiration for Lego-designers. And P will be fired up then once more behind his computer to order a new box.
The most hilarious scene that took place this summer was when P put A to bed and announcing:'I will get Twilight!' While hearing this and thinking that this was my cue I ran up to this bedroom. 'Here is mummy!', hoping for a wet kiss! 'No, mum, dad, will go and get it!' And a few seconds later P entered with one of these high tech looking Star Wars transporters.
Turns out that Anakin Skywalker has got this personal transport engine in which he goes out there to save Padme and kick some ass with some less peaceful alliens. It looks rather funny with just two little wings (at the same side)- and this huge canon at the other side. 'Can this fly?', I doubtfully asked them. I can tell you that the vicious looks I got from them were not that funny! 'Mum, this is Anakin he can make anything fly!', A answered! P was imitating the sound this obvious smooth flying object produces while battling many succesfully!
Did I feel out of place at that moment. 'Twilight' is now battled on two fronts in this house. To be realy honest I do not know what would happen if I would send out Edward or Carlisle over to Star Wars headquarters asking very politely to move out of our living room. After all, books can be pieces of furniture, Lego is a life hazard! May the force be with any 'Twilight' out there!
P.S.: In case you wonder what the Lego version of 'Twilight' looks like:
P.S.2: Just to point out what kind of material P&A keep themselves busy with:
There are some very nice side effects of blogging. And the most surprising one of them is that you get to make new friends. Not that I am already over the fact that I have seemed to have hurt certain individuals. Still, the best thing that happened to me since starting this adventure I got to meet one in the flesh!!!
I am not going to give away all the details but yesterday I had one of these very nice days that can make my heart smile. I was nervous about meeting a person who contacts you by reacting to a blog post but according to my sixth sense this one was going to be worth it!
So while I was standing out there waiting for her to appear (fired up with a bag of Belgian chocolates for her to enjoy! She is chocolate lover!!) I became very anxious. My thaughts were running wild. Like always I had forgotten her number to call in case of an emergency. Typical Stallie!! 'Uhm, in case she is not going to show up I will eat those chocolates myself!', was perhaps my 'worst' thaught!
While observing the many people (some locals and many 'lost' tourists) at the Metro stop where we had pledged to meet up I came to think of how much I miss this city. It is a very particular sensation I experience while being on my own wandering through my capital city. Once I am on the metro heading for 'Capital Adventure Land' I ease down. The moment I get to look over the many colorful faces of my fellow passengers I feel so much different.
When M suddenly popped out of the metro (you should know I only saw one picture of her on her blog in which she is wearing sun glasses) I happened to just look at her face. It was radiant and her eyes were sparkling. She was so sorry that she was late but that didn't matter to me because she made it!!!!
We walked, talked, ate (I had the biggest ice cream on the menu of Haägen Dazs) and got to know each other better. It was amazing what I just told her openly at that first meeting but I don't consider her a stranger anymore. I do admire the fact that she followed her husband, left her home country and took along her two kids and dragged along her belongings to start a new adventure.
She worries about many things. Especially the new challenges her daughters will face. But I just sense that she is up for that. She has got what it takes and has embraced already Brussels in her heart and also managed to change her new apartment into 'home sweet home'! For the moment she even prefers the typical Belgian weather!!! Oh boy, she most have Belgian in a previous life!
M will be here for 3 years and I do hope to take her along many times on outings. I can't wait to show her and her family the country that I do cherish. M showed me very nice images of her family and she told me very nice things about the loved ones she had left behind in Greece!!
By the time we descended once more to get our rides for home it was a bit surrealistic that M ended up getting me of at the right stop and also showed me the right way to our next ride! Guess she is a fast learner. Once I was back on my own I came to think of how fascinating subways can be!
Yes, I still get lost in the one of Brussels but I don't mind. I have been on many rides all over the world. The numerous times I took the subway in Brussels heading home afer a long day and feeling relieved to be back where I truely come to life! This year I minded the Gap in the London subway with my mum. Still vividly remember my solo ride on the one of Paris just moments before I got hit by a white van (learning the hard way that you never can trust a white van) in front of L'Odeon in the pouring rain! The rides I took with my sister on the underground tramline of Zürich were the ultimate punctual rides I ever experienced. And I go one for hours what meaningful rides I did spend under the ground!
But they all have one thing in common the moment the doors slide open and I get of I head for the unknown. Because once I pop up above ground I connect back with life and seem to have been granted a few precious moments to reflect about my own ride of Life and were I heading for. Yesterday the ride took me to a new friend!! One I hope to sit on the metro with many times!! M, once more thank you for the nice afternoon and hope to let you taste many excellent, delicious chocolate in the 36 months to come! Always welcome to hop on!
P.S.: One of the rather suprising movies involving sliding doors of elevators and subways was 'Sliding Doors'. Aqua ended up on the Soundtrack with this song. And yes, sometimes I do think it would be nice to turn back time! Especially when you are enjoying ice cream in good company!
This summer I treated myself and A to a 3 day Disney-trip! We took along our very good friends M&M! Planning we had this for months and also looking forward to such an outing is already part of the excitement. A had made some promises about attacking Disneyland for the 2nd time. Last year he had chickened out a few times when it came down to the rather fast rides. 'Mum, this time, I will for sure go into the fast train!', he had told me a few times before take off!
Before reading on I need to point out that there are some things that I have pledged not to write about. 'What happens in Disney, stays in Disney!', I had begged to M just before arriving at the 'Cheyenne Hotel'. Because I knew what effects Tinkerbell her pixiedust could have on me. Some of them would get the label rated R!. The longer I hang around Mickey Mouse ears, Goofy feet, Cinderella shoes, Buzz Lightyear guns, Jack Sparrow hats and Sleeping Beauty her pink castle the higher the risk was to turn into one of these imaginary princesses or Stich myself.
Being an adult and going to Disneyland is hard due to many with facts. If you doubt taking your kids yourself then you are damn right because after all it is not one of these easy rides. Nope, behind every corner there is looming an other temptation or danger. And in most cases it are your kids that get the most out of it! But this time I was so lucky to share those rather 'painful' moments M! Two mums who badly needed a time out and being allowed to act not accordingly to our age!
So the moment we got on Main Street USA I already had to battle with my newest asset: a rain poncho! M got a crack out of this because there was no manual included to get that clothing item fitted the right way! A and M seemed to think that this was not the most fashionable way to enter Walt's World because they started to ignore me. But hey, I was going to be prepared for the downpour of the century.
The four of us managed to get tons of rides done that first day. In some cases we, mothers, had to beg ('Please, mum wants to go on this ride!), lie (Nope, this ride does not go fast!) or black mail (When you go on this one then we will next do whatever you want!) our adorable children to get them in certain rides. A kept his promise about the train ride but the moment he had disembarked he was standing there with tears on his cheeks and told me very plainly that he would never do this again!! Yeah, right! In about a decade you want to get your driving licence and then hit the highways to break some speeding records!
The rain was still a companion by the time we got on one of the true classics:'It's a Small World'. After all these years it is the one ride where most kids (even the boys seem to forget that they don't like pink because that is one of the major colors used in this ride) and adults to inspire. The song is so catchy and manages to stay with you for the rest of your magical Disney lay over! Not to mention all the other typical Disney sounds you bump into and manage to brainwash you. A made very clear a few times that the quality of my singing had not approved by entering Disneyland!
Needless to say that by the time the rain was about the leave the French hemisphere my shoes had crossed the status of being suitable attire for attending the ball of Cinderella. It seemed as I was dragging along Aquadisney in my shoes. Guess twice were they ended up after this trip? M made sure that I will never forget them because she was so kind to video tape them. My feet themselves had colored into the webbed feet of the ugly duckling!
By the end of the day we mums had turned into two big kids who were completely running insane. A & M were sometimes perplexed by the social behaviour their less responsible parent was showing to Mickey&co. Because we were not alone in the Magic Kingdom! You can bet we found that out! And not always the most pleasent way.
Stallie was so tempted to buy Buzz Lightyear Lazergun herself because of some less Disney infected human beings. Especially the German who thaught that M her back was the best resting area to use while standing in line for Pirates of the Caribbean. Oh boy, was I about to scream for Jack Sparrow!! 'Hey, in case you have forgotten you are in Disneyland and here we don't hit on people or show our dark side!' was many times on my mind while observing many.
Still the list of highlights can still make me errupt into sheer laughter:
- the Irish guy who took his four kids and wife on a Disney break by 'accident'. His son seemed to have screwed up the reservation. As compensation they also ended up in the Disney Hotel but with compliments of Dagobert Duck who was going to pick up the check. That funny going family made my heart smile because they seemed to goof around many more times and even pulled my leg in the few minutes we met!
- The Pakistani mother who witnessed me headbanging against a fake tree in the Rainforest Café. While she was flabbergasted by my action I tried to make her return to the living world by saying:'Don't worry this is a way of letting the negative energy running loose and leaving my body!' Because by now A&M had showed also some less Disney acceptable behaviour I needed badly to decompensate. As a mother I was dead tired by now and wanted to get on a magic carpet ride with one final destination: my bed! Not that this lady seemed to understand my tree hugging and head banging attitude as the right way to get rid of stress! M was by now already crawling under a table!
- The wonderful and professional staff that seems to have much more patience then the average vistor. M & I not got photographed only with Disney characters but insisted some Most Valuable Crew members to show their most impressive smiles in front of the camera. Hey, you should try to imagine what they all put up with. And I am not only aiming at the rather less fun kids showing up in Disney stores, hotels, restaurants and rides. My personal favourites were Veroniqua & Daniel who were genuiely showing smiles and made not only the kids feel at home but also us. Stallie even went over to the Disney Information Center to put this down in black & white. In the 21st centery I don't take anything for granted anymore!
- Excuses for shopping. A & M were of course VIP-clients when it came down to selecting out souvenirs. I do think that I behaved. Not that I was not tempted to buy one of those Cinderella dresses and I was so to buy one of those funny looking hats. But then P would have for sure filed for a divorce (so to speak!!!) when he would have entered the kitchen seeing me there behind the stove wearing a hat with a mouse on it! Best shopping excuse ever was M her punch line when she saw something that she desperately wanted to buy for her daughter :'Oh, just look at that. This is comes in handy to train I her psychomotor skills!'
- A & M their fantasy and energy level! I was 'dead' by the middle of day two. But these kids had found the biggest playground ever. The only mistake we made was actually giving in when they asked for a Buzz Lightyear Lazer gun!!! The sound these make can drive you insane. By the time we ended up in bed M thaught that we were still under attack. So as a punishment she made M ride the buggy for a short while with her in it!
- Standing in line for rides that you just don't like and rather would love to skipp. People who have the pleasure (uhm!!) do know that Stallie in the mornings is not a fun ride. Nope, before noon I am rather the evil stephmother of Snowwhite. So then forcing me into the longest waiting line ever (the one of Autopolis) is not your best move ever. 'Stupid, stupid ride!! Who wants to ride in such stupid little cars on a fake track. This is something they can do when they go to a fun fair at home! I hate this!! Hey, we are loosing so much time here by just standing still! Alexander get out of that puddle (leftovers of Aqua Disney!) or I ........' M was so nice to put up with me for two mornings but I guess she was relieved that by lunch time I had changed my witchy attire for a more colorful outfit! Not that A was impressed with his mum. After all, he was the one with a high tech lazer gun.
- Fancy Cocktails at the Disney Hotel. We could not afford a night there but at least we checked out the place sufficiently! The mojito was quite refeshing and M & A were even allowed to test drive their Toy Story minature cars on the thick carpets of the bar! It is at this place that I made some wild Disney plans for the future! The staff is already warned because M is already bursting of ideas what she will make me do in case that wish ever comes true! And no way! Read my lipps:' I am NOT going to dress up as Tinkerbell and passing out imitation pixiedust in the form of powder sugar!'
- Numerous toilet visits! Taking kids to Disneyland is checking out every single toilet you meet on your way! Needless to say that the timing of your loved ones was not always perfect. Ohoh, ants in my pants! If you are standing in line for a ride and the waiting line is over 30 minutes that you wonder why they have not thaught about including an extra bathroom on the way!! M came up with a rather creative solution for these situations. She dragged empty bottles along everywhere and re-used them bravely. I was the one who had to get out of line and run for a toilet with a 6 year old who did not understand that after that leak had to face tons of faces who where not that thrilled to see us back and thought thaught we were jumping the line!
- Meeting up with Michael Jackson in 3D! A had already showed some of his funny dancemoves in the kitchen when one of his songs were on. Also M knew the name and so when we found that Disney was trying as well to keep him 'alive' by reintroducing the groundbraking clip (at the time it was a hell of an amazing job to make this one) of 'Captain Eo' we pushed (gently!) our kids into a dark cinema. Already at the introduction part these two hyperactive Mickey Mice were going wild on the improvised dance floor. Needless to say they were the only ones who dared to do this. It was hilarious to see our young ones try to go for the red 'kitten' and go for some other stuff they were 'throwing' at us. And hey, this guy for sure was able to move amzingly cool around on this globe. Now A&M wanted to adopt badly that red cute little animal he is dragging along in that clip! 'It is only fantasy!' or 'We can't buy this one in a shop!', don't seem to work in this case. They are still raving about it!!
- Driving back home after trying to fit all the luggage (also a great number of filled up shopping bags) and a long scenery drive through the country side of Disneyland! By the time we got into the car our kids showed some real sleep deficiency and we as well. But thanks to M her fired up iPod we swinged back home. I also found out why some women seem to sit behind their steering wheel with their face glued to the window shield! 'They try to blow dry their wet hair!' M her expertise was going wild during the last 300 km of the ride home! A & M had given into sleep and so we freely started to sing and move around in the car!
So now I am back home and is Disneyland again a memory!! I am totally fired up with pixiedust and hope that it will be enough to survive the next 12 months. For sure I had a wonderful time amongst Mickey and Co. Also 'The New Generation' who now officially moved in was a success! M and I do now know too much classified information about each other to break up our friendship! A and M were comrades in arms for three days and not ended up aiming their guns at each other! Mission accomplished and the countdown has already started!! We will be back for more magic!
P.S.: I ended buying Mickey Mouse stuff but not just some stuffed animal. Nope, the one that is starring at me is green and looks like a one of these soldiers out of Toy Story 3! 'Vinylmation' is for me the best way of bringing home in a rather grown up way a Disneyland Souvenire! Only hickup when you buy one of these: you never know which one is in the box! Mickey Mouse goes arty farty and do I love it! And yes, M I also love you!!!!
PS: This being A his favourite ride after all I include this in here as well!!! Try to resist the sound of this one!!
Uhm, I should be blogging about the 'super-cali-fragil-istic-ex-pi-alidocious' time I had at Disneyland Paris and I am not! Don't panic, M!!! I will but it won't be today because for the moment I am obsessed by a certain weather ingredient. It was also part of our Disney adventure and I am very tempted to pimp up my title with it as well! But it will have to wait for an other 24 hours.
Rain can make feel so down and in combination with the overload of female hormones I am blessed with it turns into something rather lethal. Once I then manage to get my nighties exchanged for something that I can show myself in outdoors I am already wishing the day would turn into the night. Hey, it is August and I want to sit outside and reading away or I want to be able to linger around in Brussels wearing toe-slippers or I want to meet up for outside lunch and drink chilled white wine and have rasperry sorbet for dessert.
Instead I ended having warm red cabage with apples for dinner and I was also considering baking some old fashioned chocolate cake. Baking season only starts around October in this house. While I was contemplating my options in front of the pantry I called my brain twisted and ran out of my kitchen! IT IS SUMMER!
Still, I ended up getting socks out before I planted my feet into my favourite pair of shoes. Uhm, this is August not October!! My umbrella got wet four times today and so did I. It only got worse when a very professional newsreader mentioned the word Autumn in the weather report. If it had been an option I would have strangled that insane sounding person who was messing around with her seasonal vocab! IT IS SUMMER!!
P ended up facing a Stallie who was not in the mood for anything productive. He was the one who managed to get even more wet by driving to the swimming pool and he was so brave to clean out the freezer wearing a summer outfit. He is my brave soldier in these hard times. Still, I feel like I want to find an extra blanket or crawl into a nice sauna and sweat away. IT IS SUMMER!!!
Okay, there are many activities you can do in the rain. Dancing, singing, kissing, jumping into puddles or just splashing it around and make others wet! Romantic walks under umbrellas or just chasing the one you love in the pouring rain are also an option when it is raining cats and dogs! I have to admit that I love the scene in 'Four weddings & a funeral' where Charles (Hugh Grant) is popping the ultimate relation question to his Carrie (Andie MacDowell. They would have won without a doubt the title of Mister and Miss Wet T-shirt for that one!
Still, I could not imagine myself doing one of the above mentioned activities in my own street! Some of my friendly neighbours are so allienated by life that before I even have managed to kiss a lost frog or have walked half a mile wetting my outfit in the hope Hugh Grant jumps out of the bushes they would have called in the troops to bring me to a safer haven! IT IS SUMMER!!!!
I am totally with Bella Swan when it comes down to rain. 'I don't really like the rain! Any cold, wet thing, I don't really ...' Unless it is a very cold Mojito or a dive into one of those breath taking pools with in the background blue skies that just hurt your eyes by looking at them. A ticket to the tropics that would be just what the doctor would prescribe for me to get the through this wet and depressing period of time. But then if I come to think of it: dancing, singing, kissing, jumping, chasing after P in the tropics would also turn me into something rather wet as well! IT IS STILL SUMMER!!!!!
P.S.: On YouTube Tina Turner her song 'Can't stand the rain' is to be found in the combination with some very fitting and arty farty pics. At least I manage to watch this without getting wet and cold!!!
Cruise, Brown, Folon, Sting, WH Auden, Mc Arthur, Rodin, Potter, Nespresso, Stein, Lauder, Facinelli, Grün, Apple, Tiffany, Mozart, Alfa Romeo, Bond, Firth, Cosby, Häagen-Dazs, Sartre, Clooney, Einstein, Figo, Seal, Disney, Austen, Monet,Haribo, Redford, Clijsters, Ford, Skywalker, Pitt, Barilla, Rachmaninov, Marcolini, Obama, Cullen,..... . I do like the ring of certain names! As you can read my personal list is long and distinguished. Still, I would like to include one extra name and that is my own. Because yes, I am very proud of it. To me it 'stands' as firm as a rock and when I get to say it out loud it can make me feel stronger, more self confident, ready to act and go for what I am after. And I am very happy that my parents choose a very fitting first name to go along with it as well!
So tomorrow around this time I will be heading back home with P & A after meeting up with tons of people who have one thing in common: their last name! Personally I just happen to be born in a family with a very inspiring heritage. On top of all the historical facts that can be found in numerous written documents it is also made up out of strong characters. Individuals who know what they want to get out of this one ride through life.
Not all is honey and pie. After all, family ties can be broken by certain events. And the stronger the bondage is the fiercer the arguments turn out to be. Also the pain caused by them can be felt in many things. So there are cracks in the branches of the family tree. It is a very strange sensation to experience that because it can be painful. After all it is your next of kin you happen not get along as well any more. You seem not to converse that easily with some of them and that does make you feel a bit insecure. All you are able to do is exchange with those family members is a very polite handshake, or three fast kisses on the cheeks. Nothing more and then move on to the ones you still seem to have easier time tattering away with.
Still, I am very happy to see them all! Single one of them. Because the are the best proof of what my last name can stand for. Looking in their eyes, admiring their facial features and searching for the things that we have common is the best activity ever. It can be a sweet smile of a 3 year old second cousin in which you happen to recognize your own smile, the fierce look of an uncle who tries to convince his brother that he still knows it better, or the body language of one of your cousins that seems to echo in the one of your own son (A will be checked out by many for the very first time!) or daughter, or the paste of steps your godfather takes while he walks by and you seem to think it is your own father walking by, or when you suddenly hear an aunt in the second degree talking to your mother you seem to hear twice the same voice!!
Tomorrow I meet up with tons of people who are different and unique, chase after their own dreams and have particular wishes and hopes. All them have been disappointed or got hurt by certain events or have encountered the luck of their live in many ways or forms. There are all one of a kind stories and some of them might still be a busy creating their own family bonzai! Most of them will bring as well 'back up' in the form of a boyfriend (my sis is bringing hers for the first time and I hope that he will survive!! P will be on his maiden voyage as well!!), girlfriend, husband, wife, fiancée or sons and daughters. Some will be by themselves because they have lost somebody or seemed still not to have found a new branch to link to 'our' family tree. But all of them are the living proof that a family name can stand the test of time and tries to grow and blossom!
The weather forecast for tomorrow is not that promising. But then while the rain will be falling on the tent where a very colorful bunch will be sheltering chances are that I will be smiling away. Once in 5 years I get to see my family tree in the flesh and every time I am amazed about how kind life has been to us. How blessed I am when it comes down to my name and heritage! Some faces will be new and some faces will be missed dearly!! The moment the photographer will ask all of us to look up where he or she is standing on a ladder to take that one unique shot of the S-family it will be for sure one of the highlights of my summer. So, when have you for the last time been hanging around in your family tree?? It could be a very surprising trip of a life time!!
P.S.: Yes, there is somewhere in Belgium a street named after one of my family members with a very special background story! This even makes it a more colorful name to carry along. But personal I like the fact that I happen to live in a street that is very fitting next to my last name. Once when I filled out some personal information for a membership card and handed it over to the lady behind the counter she looked very suspiciously. 'You must be joking!', she said, 'Or did you make this up?', her reaction was when she saw that rather funny combination. Uhm, I guess that 'Hengstenberg' was the best place ever to find a 'stable' for my 'back up'!!!
Well, I left the blogworld for a few days because I felt not up to sitting behind a screen and typing away! On top of that I do strongly believe in 'bad karma'! Third of all I was also visiting the dark side of my own existence! Three reasons not to create anything written! Any reasons for the mentioned above states? Yes!!! Stallie is having stomach pains!
Ever since school ended I seemed to have the impression that my stomach was feeling like a brick. Okay, I do think that stress management is very important and that work is not the most important drive in your life. Still, looking back over the last ten months I had some nerve wrecking moments that I was about to explode internaly! I was fine as long I got the few hours of sleep I badly needed in order to function from a day to day basis!
Teachers are blessed when it comes down on having long breaks and especially the summer break can make others feel so envious. To make sure that I don't trip on any sensitive toes out there I want to point out here and now that this for sure a very nice extra benefit that comes along with our job description! Still, having time of when most people are working is not always a thrill! Not that I am bored but my body is then telling me take it very slow.
Most years I slept through the month July! Hibernating I was! During the school year I manage to wake up before six but once it is the first day of summer I just collapse aching for sleep. Half of day I walk then through the house trying to feel relax, being excited about having so much time for myself and not having to rush. The first year it happend it scared me. Once I recognised the signs it became part of the summerholiday routine! By the time we got into the second half of the break I was in summer mode!
But this year no extra sleep was on the programme because my body had picked out an other part to terrorize: my stomach. I had promised P to cut down an many delicous ingredients that sweeted up my life. So no Danish, candy or pies anymore or only once a week! Well, against all odds this seemed to go very easily! Stallie managed to walk by many bakeries where cakes & pies were screaming out my name and I did not even felt tempted! Even a visit to the super market did not tempt me to buy and then hide S.(ecret)S.(weet)S(upplies)!
Also snack time I just started to skip and I did not even noticed it! When A asked for some crisps I was able to resist the bag myself! My hunger sensation was acting weird and I guess that the blood sucker Edward Cullen would have signed up for that one immediately. I, at the other hand, felt very 'strange' and out of tune about this!
P only got alarmed when one morning I woke up told him that I even woke up in the middle of the night because of the stomach sensation! It took him only 3 days (this is record time, believe me!) to hand me over the phone and calling a friend of his specialised in the stomach diseases. N, being a very good friend, listened very attentively to my complaints and asked my some of those routine questions. 'So to hear you might have a small stomach ulcer!', was her quick diagnosis! Before I knew I was up for an insight trip through my digestive system! AHHHHHHHHH!!
Stallie was freaking out badly! I have this internal list of things I would like to keep out of the way as long as possible and this 'gastroscopy' was way out there on my list of my favourite outings. So I started to feel very tensed, was running around unfocused and yes, I was freakishly worried! Hey, the prospect of having the swallow a big black tube and then letting it have a trip down memory lane was not seeming very appealing to me! P tried to point out that it was a routine thingy! You should know that this down-to-earth-doctor once had tried to avoid this himself by experimenting first with tons of medication before surrendering to the tube!
My brother J was also so nice to point out that this was going to be a stroll through the park for me. 'You are always the brave one when it comes down to medical stuff!', he pointed out over the phone. He already had the t-shirt so this time I did feel a bit jealous of him knowing what to expect! I was going blind on this one!!!
So my final count down started! I did try to keep myself busy but I was so tensed that I even not managed to make a hairdresser appointment or calling friends who might be home! Nope, Stallie stayed at home and her mind was racing insane. I was so focused on my stomach issue that I started to see and feel things that were for sure imaginary illussions.
I even started to rumage through the house. P had many times asked me very politely to start throwing away some stuff that seemed just into the way of many except me! Boxes filled up with old postcards, school folders, yellow colored pages of magazines, letters (also love letters and did I find some 'interesting' ones in one my old boxes!!!)and other 'garbage-to-be' went through my hands! While sitting out there in the attic surrounded by tons of 'old' memories I was travelling through my life! I was all over the place and the world! Cherishing many things that had made me smile, kiss, scream, dream, cry, run and also worry! It was perhaps the best activity to fill up the waiting time! But no way that I was going to blog about this! It seemed to me that this was going to stimulate my bad karma!
So by the time I ended up on the table and felt the small needle go into me with the 'Date Rape Drug'(P had given me the full insight on what they were going to inject down my veins!) I surrended! I don't recall a lot of what N has been doing down there. P and A had been so friendly to stay out of there because I even not wanted them in the room! P knows too much and when something was seriously wrong I wanted some privacy! Once I made it back on a chair and found out that there was no 'alien' in there or anything life threatening I allowed them in! P and N then discussed my meds while I was sitting there completely drugged out!
Don't ask me who I called or sent a text message to tell them I was fine, I don't remember it vividly! Everything happened in a blurr. P told me that if he would have given me some 'fishy' documents I would have signed them! Yeah, right!! By the time I called it the day and went upstairs and reached for my very funny read 'We are all made of glue' I was drifting away! P found me some hours later still sitting straight up, lights still on and sound asleep!!!
Guess what, I don't even remember that but when I woke up this morning I did feel so different! Like I had slept very well for the first time. P smiled when he saw me waking up this morning! 'I guess that sleeping part went well!' He then started to rumage in the bath room looking for the medication, he handed them over and told me that I was even allowed to have coffee! Yeah, this is heaven!!! I am facing now at least one month of medication! But I hope that I will be graving for some sugar as well because after all Mary Poppins is damn right when it comes down to dealing with medication in many forms and sizes:
'A Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down The medicine go down The medicine go down Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down In a most delightful way'
(Julie Andrews, A Spoon Full of Sugar, Mary Poppins)
